2Kings 17

Hoshea Reigns over Israel

17IN THE twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah began his nine-year reign in Samaria over Israel.H8147H6240H8141H271H4428H3063H1954H1121H425H4427H8111H3478H8672H81412He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as Israel's kings before him did.H6213H7451H5869H3068H4428H3478H64403Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria, and Hoshea became his servant and brought him tribute.H5927H8022H4428H804H1954H5650H7725H45034But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.H4428H804H4672H7195H1954H7971H4397H5471H4428H4714H5927H4503H4428H804H8141H8141H4428H804H6113H631H1004H36085Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years.H4428H804H5927H776H5927H8111H6696H7969H8141

Israel Captive

6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried the Israelites away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan and in the cities of the Medes.H8671H8141H1954H4428H804H3920H8111H1540H3478H1540H804H3427H2477H2249H5104H1470H5892H4074

Why Israel Fell

7This was so because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, Who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared other godsH1121H3478H2398H3068H430H5927H776H4714H3027H6547H4428H4714H3372H312H4308And walked in the customs of the [heathen] nations whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites, customs the kings of Israel had introduced.H3212H2708H1471H3068H3423H6440H1121H3478H4428H3478H62139The Israelites did secretly against the Lord their God things not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from [lonely] watchtower to [populous] fortified city.H1121H3478H2644H1697H3068H430H1129H1116H5892H4026H5341H4013H589210They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim [symbols of the goddess Asherah] on every high hill and under every green tree.H5324H4676H842H1364H1389H7488H608611There they burned incense on all the high places, as did the nations whom the Lord carried away before them; and they did wicked things provoking the Lord to anger.H6999H1116H1471H3068H1540H6440H6213H7451H1697H3068H370712And they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, You shall not do this thing.H5647H1544H3068H559H6213H169713Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all the prophets and all the seers, saying, Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the Law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.H3068H5749H3478H3063H3027H5030H2374H559H7725H7451H1870H8104H4687H2708H8451H6680H1H7971H3027H5650H503014Yet they would not hear, but hardened their necks as did their fathers who did not believe (trust in, rely on, and remain steadfast to) the Lord their God.H8085H7185H6203H6203H1H539H3068H43015They despised {and} rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings to them, and they followed vanity (false gods--falsehood, emptiness, and futility) and [they themselves and their prayers] became false (empty and futile). They went after the heathen round about them, of whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do as they did.H3988H2706H1285H3772H1H5715H5749H3212H310H1892H1891H310H1471H5439H3068H6680H621316And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the [starry] hosts of the heavens and served Baal.H5800H4687H3068H430H6213H4541H8147H5695H6213H842H7812H6635H8064H5647H116817They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire and used divination and enchantments and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.H1121H1323H5674H784H7080H7081H5172H4376H6213H7451H5869H3068H370718Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of His sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah.H3068H3966H599H3478H5493H6440H7604H7626H306319Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs which Israel introduced.H3063H8104H4687H3068H430H3212H2708H3478H621320The Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of spoilers, until He had cast them out of His sight.H3068H3988H2233H3478H6031H5414H3027H8154H7993H644021For He tore Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drew {and} drove Israel away from following the Lord and made them sin a great sin.H7167H3478H1004H1732H3379H1121H5028H4427H3379H5080H5077H3478H310H3068H2398H1419H240122For the Israelites walked in all the sins Jeroboam committed; they departed not from themH1121H3478H3212H2403H3379H6213H549323Until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, as He had foretold by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria to this day.H3068H5493H3478H6440H1696H3027H5650H5030H3478H1540H127H804H3117

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

24The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the Israelites. They possessed Samaria and dwelt in its cities.H4428H804H935H894H3575H5755H2574H5617H3427H5892H8111H1121H3478H3423H8111H3427H589225At the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear {and} revere the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.H8462H3427H3372H3068H3068H7971H738H202626So the king of Assyria was told: The nations you removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the manner in which the God of the land requires their worship. Therefore He has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the manner of [worship demanded by] the God of the land.H559H4428H804H559H1471H1540H3427H5892H8111H3045H4941H430H776H7971H738H4191H3045H4941H430H77627Then the king of Assyria commanded, Take to Samaria one of the priests you brought from there, and let him [and his helpers] go and live there and let him teach the people the law of the God of the land.H4428H804H6680H559H3212H259H3548H1540H3212H3427H3384H4941H430H77628So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel and taught them how they should fear {and} revere the Lord.H259H3548H1540H8111H935H3427H1008H3384H3372H306829But every nationality still made gods of their own and put them in the shrines of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nationality in the city in which they dwelt.H1471H6213H430H3240H1004H1116H8118H6213H1471H5892H342730The men of Babylon made [and worshiped their deity] Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,H582H894H6213H5524H582H3575H6213H5370H582H2574H6213H80731The Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.H5757H6213H5026H8662H5616H8313H1121H784H152H6048H430H561732So they feared the Lord, yet appointed from among themselves, whether high or low, priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.H3373H3068H6213H7098H3548H1116H6213H1004H111633They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods, as did the nations from among whom they had been carried away.H3373H3068H5647H430H4941H1471H154034Unto this day they do after their former custom: they do not fear the Lord [as God sees it], neither do they obey the statutes or the ordinances or the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel,H3117H6213H7223H4941H3373H3068H6213H2708H4941H8451H4687H3068H6680H1121H3290H7760H8034H347835With whom the Lord had made a covenant and commanded them, You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them.H3068H3772H1285H6680H559H3372H312H430H7812H5647H207636But you shall [reverently] fear, bow yourselves to, and sacrifice to the Lord, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm.H3068H5927H776H4714H1419H3581H5186H2220H3372H7812H207637And the statutes, ordinances, law, and commandment which He wrote for you you shall observe and do forevermore; you shall not fear other gods.H2706H4941H8451H4687H3789H8104H6213H3117H3372H312H43038And the covenant that I have made with you you shall not forget; you shall not fear other gods.H1285H3772H7911H3372H312H43039But the Lord your God you shall [reverently] fear; then He will deliver you out of the hands of all your enemies.H3068H430H3372H5337H3027H34140However, they did not listen, but they did as they had done formerly.H8085H6213H7223H494141So these nations [vainly] feared the Lord and also served their graven images, as did their children and their children's children. As their fathers did, so do they to this day.H1471H3373H3068H5647H6456H1121H1121H1121H6213H1H6213H3117